Budget Gorilla Habituation Safaris

Gorilla habituation can be described as the process of making mountain gorillas get used to human presence and this normally takes a period of about two years and involves researchers visiting a gorilla family on a daily basis to enable the gorilla family get accustomed to human presence in their natural habitat.

Gorilla habituation experience is when tourists join rangers and researchers in their day to day activities of habituating a mountain gorilla family. Gorilla habituation experience can only be done in one place in the world and that is in Bwindi impenetrable forest national park in the southwestern part of Uganda home to half of the worlds mountain gorillas.

Gorilla habituation is a little more expensive than gorilla trekking but budget travelers can adjust to a budget habituation experience by sleeping in budget accommodation or mid range. Bwindi impenetrable forest national park has got many lodges travelers can sleep in ranging from budget, mid range and luxurious so for budget gorilla habituation you can choose to sleep in lodges giving lower rates.

Budget gorilla habituation can also be done during the low season, though the gorilla habituation permit price doesn’t change, some lodges give discounts for their accommodation compared to prices during the peak season though gorilla habituation during this time can be very hectic as the trails are muddy and slippery.

You can also have a budget gorilla habituation experience by choosing a cheaper company, tourists can do this by comparing prices given by different companies for overall gorilla habituation experience. Tourists can also cut some costs by travelling direct to Rwanda to Kigali international airport and then drive to Bwindi national park in Rushaga sector that is close to the boarder instead of flying to Uganda and drive for 10-11 hours to Rushaga sector for gorilla habituation.

The cost of gorilla habituation permit is $1500 per person and can be obtained through Uganda wildlife authority or by a trusted tour company.

Mountain gorillas are diurnal animals, they normally start to forage very early morning at 6am until midday when they take a rest and this period is important for grooming and group bonding. The gorillas again start to forage in the afternoon up to 6pm when they build their nests different from the nests of previous day.

Mountain gorillas have long and thick fur that helps them to adapt to cold environments they live in, they share about 95% DNA with humans with their nose prints unique to each individual just like human thumb prints are unique to each of them, the baby mountain gorillas are vulnerable like human babies when they are born and breastfeed on their mothers breast up to about 3-4 years of age.